Namco History

The pioneer's pioneer.

Namco has been around for quite some time. But they are more than just "the Pac-Man company." Here's a list of some of their achievements:

King & Balloon (1980) - First game with synthesized speech

Rally X (1980) - First game to feature a bonus round

Bosconian (1981) - First game to have a 'Continue' feature

Pole Position (1982) - First 3D racing game with driving controls

Xevious (1982) - One of the first vertically scrolling space shooters

Pac-Land (1984) - First complex side-scrolling platformer

Dragon Buster (1984) - One of the first games to feature a life bar

Motos (1985) - First game to calculate damage based on weight

So many of these things we take for granted. But you walk into any place that has one or more old arcade cabinets (which is such a historic thing now), that game might not have a continue option, or a bonus round, because at that time they didn't exist. Somebody had to say, "Hey, what if you could put in more money and continue from where you died?" And they had to find a way to make that work with the limited programming space available. It just seems so absurd that someone had to say that.

Before the point of gaming handouts, if you were good, you didn't die. Period. Many gamers today (especially younger ones) have little to no patience, and expect to be handed infinite continues, an ability to save wherever and whenever they damn well please, and a difficulty level that isn't difficult at all. When you present games from the 1980's (e.g. Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong), and play those games with them, it's comical to see how quickly they die three or four times and ask, "Where's my guy?" And upon finding out that that's it, the game is over, they look incredulous. Who's playing the joke? Is the game broken? Why didn't I win? How do you beat that guy? Is it even possible to win?

Then comes the big difference, the fork in the road. Some say (and they're the people I want to play games with), "Let me try it again." They have a penchant for challenges, enjoy getting replay value out of a game, and building up their skill level. They will keep trying (and improving) because they're thinking about it while they're doing it, not just blindly mashing buttons and slamming joysticks. They start to understand better how the controls work, what their timing has to be. Sure, frustration is a part of it, but when they die and yell, "ARGH!" they're smiling and laughing at the same time. It is such a good feeling to watch a kid play Ms. Pac-Man with that intense look of focus and determination on their face, totally oblivious to the world around them, because they're gonna eat all those dots if it's the last thing they do, dammit.

Then there's the other people. After they lose the first time and find out the game is over, that's it, they look at the game like it's a piece of junk.

"Do you have any games that are good?"

Because they are not instantly brilliant at a game, it must be crap. These are the people, kids up to adults, that are used to everything being handed to them in games. They are used to putting in codes before the game even starts for infinite lives, unlimited ammo, invincibility, etc., often before they've even played the game without these things first. These are the people who buy the player's guide in the same purchase as the game itself. Because thinking is hard, am I right? When they try a game out (even modern ones), if it requires more than a little effort, "It's stupid." When you watch these people play these older games, they have that vacant look on their faces, like they'd rather be anywhere else in the world. Watching them play, you'd swear their hands aren't connected to their brains whatsoever, because they seem to be moving in erratic, uncontrolled, uncaring spasms. Where are the explosions? The instant respawns? I can only move in two directions at only one speed. What kind of crap is this?

I'm not saying everyone has to like Xevious, but if one calls themselves a 'full-fledged gamer', they should at least be aware that games have existed for quite some time before Call of Duty. And with the beauty of the internet, it is so easy to immediately try them out on your computer or console, and it's usually free. If not, it's cheaper than a map pack DLC. I have (and still try) to try out as many different games in as many different genres as I can, just to be able to know what is happening. Even if I don't like some of them that much, it's still part of what is happening. I find gaming history fascinating, and respect companies like Namco immensely for their contributions and innovations to the industry. Companies like that have managed to survive all the pitfalls that strike other companies at some point (multiple times, even), and have adapted to survive and thrive even today. The fact that they're still around and making quality games (on and off) is impressive in itself.

Bravo.

New Smash Bros. Game Thoughts

Characters? Assist Trophies? Combos? Stages?

The new Smash Bros. game doesn't have a set release date yet, but what has been revealed is that Sora Ltd. (one of the main developers of Brawl) with work with Namco Bandai on this new installment. I am excited.

Namco Bandai's recent fighting feats include Soul Calibur V and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which were pretty damn good in my opinion. You can't argue that both of those franchises have a large amount of success, otherwise there probably wouldn't be five or more of each.

I think that with Namco Bandai near the head of this game, it could take a step more towards the Melee side of the series, where things are fast-paced, skill is more rewarded, and there is less of, "Hey! You just happened to hit that glowing thing by chance and now I'm dead!" Don't get me wrong, I like Brawl a lot, I just like the pacing of Melee's combat better. It seemed less clunky control-wise. They tried to put Brawl in with the other 'family friendly let's-play-all-together' games, but I never played any Smash game with my family, nor did I have an urge to. I played with people who were around my skill level who enjoyed the series for what it was.

So, are we talking a mainstream Namco character in this one? As obvious as the decision may seem, Pac-Man could actually be the perfect choice. I could see a Final Smash where he eats a power pellet and all other characters turn blue-ish, and Pac can just run into them, consume them, and their eyes go zigzagging off the screen. He has gloves, he can punch, he can have that wakka-wakka sound while he's moving, akin to Mr. Game & Watch's ticking steps.

And since the game is Nintendo, and Nintendo is all about delving into its past, they can pick and choose attacks from all those old Pac-Man games. Even though they might not be great (or even good), they still have unique things about them. I'm talking Professor Pac-Man, the Pac-Man World series, Super Pac-Man, and the like.

Who says he can't use that slingshot from Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures? Or don his Professor Pac-Man hat, glasses, and smack you with that stick? Or have the fairy from Pac-Land help you attack? Why not have the magic boots from Pac-Land as an item, which would give you many more jumps than normal? Or the fruit from mazes included in the other food percentage-reducing items? Or make any of the Pac-Man World maps a stage in itself? Or chuck that key from the maze right into somebody's face? As long as they don't ruin any new characters like they did Sonic. For such a push to have him, most of his moves are the same. Spin. Spin. Another spin. Nobody I know plays as Sonic. He could have been a cool character to use, too. Shame.

What about Assist Trophies? Holy crap, there are a million and one awesome things they could do. What's that? The Galaxians showed up and are all zooming and shooting down the screen? Dig Dug is running around the stage trying to pump up/explode other characters? The Pac-Man ghosts are zigzagging around the stage following players' paths? Why not make a stage with all Namco arcade classics cycling through, kind of like the WarioWare, Inc. stage from Brawl? Speculation is so much fun.

In the 1980's alone, Namco released over sixty games. Sixty. I'm sure not all of them were games to write home about, but there were definitely some treasures in there. Namco is one of the companies with a history of landmarks as big as Nintendo's, sometimes even bigger. And since the Smash Bros. series has a history of showcasing little-known gems (e.g. Ice Climbers, Pit, Captain Falcon, Ness etc.) by those who are younger or never go outside mainstream games, it seems like a perfect fit that many of those Namco games could find a resurgence in being known and appreciated. I know that everybody knows who Ness is now, but back when the N64 Smash Bros. came out? I can't tell you how many times I heard, "Oh, they made him just for this game. He's an original character." Or for Samus, "I think it's pronounced sa-moose." Or for Falcon, "I have no idea where he's from."

What if the Smash Bros. series got combos? If the developers could make it work well, it would be a huge addition to the series, and throw a completely new strategic element into the mix. Between N64 and Melee, there was a huge change. Between Melee and Brawl, not as big. They really need to pull out something new that will make a big impact for this one. For me, having connectivity between your Wii U and 3DS isn't enough.

I'm looking forward to you, new Smash Bros. game.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Nostalgia city.

It has been a long time since I've picked up a fighting game and had the urge to really delve into it, and build up some skill that isn't, "Look how fast I can mash these buttons." I would say the most recent is SSB Brawl, which in itself isn't really a traditional fighting game. But Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is really pushing for a fighting game I really want to delve into. The last Tekken I played hardcore was Tekken 3 (on an upright cabinet, no less). I loved it. The ridiculousness of characters, the cool grabs and combos available, the homages to icons (e.g. Bruce Lee), the additional modes (PlayStation version), just the whole package. I dabbled in the later installments, mostly to check out new characters, backstories, endings, etc., but none of them really had that hook for me that 3 did.

That was over fifteen years ago(!). Then I picked up TTT2. It pretty much solved the problem of, "Man, I wish I could play as so-and-so, but I'd have to find Tekken 3/4/5/6." Most everybody is in this one, and the controls and response feel as crisp as they did all those years ago. The music is excellent, and tiny features like being able to select what music plays in what stage is a nice touch. Visually, the game is very appealing. The character roster is as bright and colorful as ever, and the stages don't leave much to be desired, especially with the breakable floors, walls, balconies, no walls, and variety of sizes.

I have the Wii U version, which means I get Tekken Ball! A strangely addictive fighting/pseudo-volleyball mini-game that my brother and I have a blast playing. I also get all the DLC right off the bat, which I appreciate very much.

The amount of customization that can be made on characters is pretty cool (clothing, accessories, etc.), and there are a lot of items that go hand in hand with the humor that permeates the Tekken franchise. I also enjoy the Fight Lab mode, which is a way to learn the mechanics of the game while at the same time customizing your character (Combot, a super fighting robot). It forces you to actually learn aspects of the game instead of just mashing buttons. For example, one of the stages has opponents that only take damage by Tag Assaults, so you must learn to use them effectively in order to advance.

There are some downsides though, naturally. The menu system is extremely labyrinthine and tedious at times. For example, at the character selection screen, I select "Tag", which means I want to use two characters for the next battle, I choose Lei for my first. But oh! I see Kuma, I want Kuma as my first character instead. So I hit the back button, and the game informs me that I will return to the main menu. Not the character menu, the main menu of the entire game. There's a lot of, "Why would they do that?" menu paths throughout the game. It's just poor planning. And as fun as the game is, there are certain balance issues between characters, with some having moves that don't take long at all to execute, but take out an extreme amount of damage. This is especially frustrating while playing online, where you have built up legitimate skill with a character, but someone plays as a single character (making them stronger than normal since they don't have a tag partner) and manages to repeatedly use that one cheap move to wipe you out in no time.

All in all though, I am enjoying the game very much. It is hard to believe that Namco has developed both the Tekken and Soul Calibur franchises, since both are so successful, and so incredibly different. And the fact that each one has over five main games in the series that have all done quite well is an achievement in itself. It also bodes well for the next game in the Smash Bros. series, since Namco Bandai is co-developing the game with Sora Ltd.